Examining Clinicians' Experiences Providing Sexual Health Services for LGBTQ Youth: Considering Social and Structural Determinants of Health in Clinical Practice

Although barriers related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth's experiences accessing sexual health services have been examined in detail, research into the experiences and perceptions of clinicians providing these services has been conspicuously absent. The aim of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education research 2014-08, Vol.29 (4), p.662-670
Main Authors: Knight, R. E, Shoveller, J. A, Carson, A. M, Contreras-Whitney, J. G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Allied Health Personnel
Attitude Measures
Barriers
British Columbia
Competence
Cultural Competency
Cultural Relevance
Female
Foreign Countries
Health Promotion
Health Services
Health Status Disparities
Homosexuality
Humans
Innovation in Sexuality Education and Service Provision
Interviews as Topic
Male
Physician-Patient Relations
Reproductive Health Services
Semi Structured Interviews
Sex Education
Sexual Behavior
Sexual Identity
Sexual Orientation
Sexuality
Sexuality - psychology
Social Bias
Social Determinants of Health
Transgender Persons - psychology
Vulnerable Populations - psychology
Young Adult
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Summary:Although barriers related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth's experiences accessing sexual health services have been examined in detail, research into the experiences and perceptions of clinicians providing these services has been conspicuously absent. The aim of this article is to explore the perceptions and experiences of clinicians providing sexual health services for LGBTQ youth. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this study examines 24 clinicians' experiences providing sexual health services to LGBTQ youth in five communities in British Columbia, Canada. Our findings reveal how many clinicians provide services to LGBTQ youth with a lack of cultural competency--either implicitly (e.g. by describing heteronormative practices) or explicitly (e.g. by expressing frustration that they had not been sufficiently provided with appropriate training related to LGBTQ youth sexual health). Institutional norms and values were identified as the dominant barriers in the effective provision of LGBTQ-tailored services. Many clinicians find themselves unprepared to provide culturally competent sexual health services that have both the capacity to address individual-level issues (e.g. promoting condom use) while considering (and adapting services to) the broader socio-cultural and structural conditions that can render LGBTQ youth socially vulnerable.
ISSN:0268-1153
1465-3648
DOI:10.1093/her/cyt116